Ra the Falcon-headed God rules all of Creation, including the Sun. He watched over the Ancient Egyptians here on Earth as Ra-Horus, Pharaoh and protector of the people, and in the Stars as Amun-Ra, Master of the forces of Creation and Raw Universal Power. I imagine he made his palace on the Sun, strolling the fiery terrain to clear his mind when perplexed by the challenges of rulership here on Earth. How might that garden have looked, rising into being and burning away under his keen gaze?
As I created this piece, wildfires burned in my region. Fire Season has newly become a part of the natural world here. We humans have suppressed and guarded against Fire for decades, ruling Nature as if we hold the power of Ra in our own hands. We have not yet learned to dance with the flames. Where Ra appreciated the Creative Threshold they govern, we fear the sheer power they command. How different the world looks to us, rising into being and burning away today.
- Size: 7 inches x 13.5 inches (18 cm x 34 cm)
- Materials: Hand-dyed cotton fabric, cotton/polyester thread
- Completed: September 2021
- Series: Divine Egypt’s Fire series, #2
- Current location: New Zone Gallery, $58 contact gallery to purchase
My Thoughts on the Work
A day after I finished Sekhmet’s Solar Flare, I saw Ra in the larger piece. It took hardly any time at all for me to choose the size and shape of this piece. My Muse was thrilled to be working with this series, and she gave me inspiration. I love how in this piece Ra is looking into the garden. It’s as if he’s gazing at it from a different perspective than we see, and he’s seeing such wonder and joy in the flames. I aimed to emphasize the fiery nature of the patterns with my stitching and thread colors.
